Origins: Before The Legendaries.
by Sera1
Summary: Finally! The Prequel I promised everyone! Prequel to my Origins fic. If you've read that, then you know what this is about. Chapter 2 is up, no thanks to the reviewers. R&R, please.
1. Default Chapter

Me: Okay, I FINALLY got around to doing the prequel to Origins!

Vurso: We made you, and you know it.

Me: *Chained to my computer. * And your point is?

Firethroat: -_-' Anyways, none of us own Pokemon.

Vurso: But Sera does own the idea for this story, so no one flame her saying that she stole their idea. Sera thought it up on her own. In fact, don't flame us period. I just learned Fire Blast, and who better to test it out on than people who flame us?

Firethroat: ^_^ You have potential, Vurso.

Vurso: -_-' Coming from you, I'm not so sure that's a compliment…

Firethroat: *Prepares a Dragon rage attack. * You want to say that again?

Me: *Ignores my fighting muses and starts typing. * They'll be at it for hours, so might as well. Oh, and before I forget, another author will guest star. Squirtel the Squirtle will be Meadow in this story. And I certainly don't own her.

*********************

"ALEX! WAKE UP!" My little sister yelled in my ear. I sat bolt upright from a dead sleep and nearly burned her with a Flamethrower.

My little sister, Melody, apparently found this hilarious, and was rolling on the floor of my room, laughing.

"You keep that up, and I'll burn that little brown tail of yours right off." I growled at her. Melody gulped and pulled her tail close to her, then lay her ears back in an effort to look cute.

Unfortunately, it worked. I growled at her, and she scampered out of my room on all fours. I tossed the covers off, making sure that they didn't touch my tail, and started getting ready for school.

I sighed. _Just finish this year, and it's off to college… and I still don't know what I want to be…_ I stood there, thinking. I finally just shrugged.

"Oh, well. If all else fails, I can just work in the family store." I grinned. "At least it pays well enough." My family sold evolution stones, TMs, and HMs for a living. None of those things came really cheap, but our family sold good quality stuff, and we sold it lower than other stores in the same general area. The closest store that rivaled our quality and prices was over five hundred miles away.

In other words, our family made pretty good money.

I then realized how late it was, and rushed to finish getting ready.

I rushed downstairs and nearly crashed into who knows how many things. I dashed into the kitchen and skid to a stop… with the stop being slamming into the wall.

I rubbed my head and winced, but it had happened so many times before that I hardly felt any pain now.

I sat down and put my tail under the chair as my mom finished making breakfast. She was a slightly plump Flareon type, so she didn't have to worry about being burned. Her fur was fire proof, anyways.

Sammy, my Houndour type sister, smiled a toothy grin at me. "Beat you again."

"Aww, go chase your tail." I retorted. "Oh, wait, you haven't evolved yet, so you don't have one!" Sammy growled.

"Stop fighting, you two." Our mom told us.

Sammy and I glared one more time at each other, then snorted out a little bit of fire each, and let it drop.

Oh, I guess I should introduce myself. My name is Alex Spark, and I'm a seventeen-year-old Charmander type. I know, from the name you're probably thinking I'm a guy. Alex is actually short for Alexis, though. And you're also probably thinking _She's seventeen and she's still a Charmander type?_ I know, I should have evolved long before now, but I have no idea why I haven't. So don't ask me.

My sisters and I gulped down our breakfast in a hurry, then grabbed our backpacks and raced for school. Sammy and Melody ran on all fours, while I just ran on two. I wasn't made for that type of running.

Maybe I should stop and explain the type thing. You see, a long time ago, to prevent our world from destroying itself, humans had to combine with the remaining Pokemon. The results were creatures that were half-human, and half Pokemon. It bred true, and here we are today.

Maybe I should describe a few of us, to give you an idea. I'll start with me. I have a Charmander's tail, muzzle, claws, skin, and coloring, but the rest of me is basically human. I can use Charmander attacks, but what attacks someone can use depends on their level. Fortunately, I was at a high level. High enough to be able to use all the attacks available to my type.

My sisters were at lower levels than I was. Sammy, the Houndour type, had Houndour fur, the metal bars, hands and feet that were a mix of Houndour paws and human hands and feet, and Houndour ears and a muzzle.

Melody, the Eevee type of the family, had brown fur with a white ruff, Eevee ears and muzzle, an Eevee tail, and, like Sammy, a mix of Eevee paws and human hands and feet.

We reached the Elementary school, and bid farewell to Melody as she dashed inside.

Just down the street was the Middle school, and Sammy sprinted to make it before the bell.

I ran across the street to the High school, went inside, and dashed down the halls to my first period class. I slipped into my seat just as the bell rang.

I was panting so hard that I accidentally used an Ember attack on my desk, setting it on fire. Meadow, my best friend, who also thankfully sat next to me, put it out with a small Water Gun.

"Thanks." I said with a smile for the Squirtle type.

"No problem." Meadow said with a cheerful grin back.

Meadow, as a Squirtle type, had the shell, tail, and coloring of a Squirtle, while the rest of her was human.

I may not be able to tell you why I haven't evolved, but I can tell you why Meadow hasn't. When she was little, she had an accident in my family's store. She fell into a large box full of Everstones, and by the time we managed to get her out, the damage had been done. Due to the influence of all of the stones, she would never be able to evolve.

Meadow didn't mind, however. She liked staying a Squirtle, so it worked out for the best.

So started the boring daily routine of school. We had to sit there, half asleep, while the teachers droned on and on, then gave us more homework than we could possibly do.

Hey, it was Friday, so I was supposed to complain, right?

Meadow and I were dragging our feet by the time we made it to last period, which was our favorite. Gym.

"Okay, you annoying little kids, pair up for battles." The teacher grumbled.

Meadow and I grinned as we faced off against each other. She shot a water gun at me, and I dodged it.

"You're getting too predictable." I told her. I then launched a tackle attack, sending her to the ground. She was quickly up again, and sent another water gun at me. This one I wasn't able to dodge, so I got drenched.

"Oww…" I groaned. Meadow didn't let up, though. She knew that if she did, I would yell at her later. She sent a bubblebeam straight at me, causing more damage.

I was on my knees, gasping in pain. I closed my eyes, and searched for something I could use. Within me, something stirred. My eyes snapped open, and Meadow took a step backwards.

My tail flame flared high, until it was almost as big as I was. I felt something tingle in my throat, so I opened my mouth, and the tingling moved there. I concentrated, and a pillar of flame, different from my flamethrower, shot out.

Meadow used withdraw, and escaped the worst of the damage. Still, when she came out of her shell, she looked pretty beat up.

"Okay…" She panted. "You win." She then sat down in exhaustion. Hard.

"You okay?" I asked, worried.

"I'm fine." She panted. She then grinned. "That was some Dragon Rage attack!"

I was stunned. I couldn't have used Dragon Rage. I couldn't be that strong… could I? 

Because of our human half, we learned attacks later than a regular Pokemon would. So, say a Squirtle learns water gun at level 13. A Squirtle type would learn the attack at level 17.

So, a Charmander would learn Dragon Rage at level 43. A Charmander type would have to be at level 70 to learn the attack.

This jolted me. _Not possible… I can't be at level 70… can I?_

The entire class was gathered around us. Meadow had gone to see the nurse, while I just stood there dumbly.

I knew that I battled a lot, but had it been enough to make me reach level 70? I thought about that. I battled more than most people at school. Sometimes, someone wouldn't have enough to buy something at my family's store, so they would battle to make up the difference. The better they battled, the more they made up.

In fact, we had a policy. If they could defeat the one they were battling, they got the item free.

I thought back, and realized with a start that I hadn't lost a battle in over four years.

The teacher then walked up to me with a level teller. He attached the little suction cup thingy to the back of my hand, and pressed a couple buttons.

"Type: Charmander. Gender: Female. Attacks: Scratch, Tackle, Growl, Ember, Leer, Flame Wheel, Skull Bash, Rage, Slash, Earthquake, Thunderpunch, Flamethrower, Fire Spin, and Dragon Rage." The machine beeped out. The rest of the class gaped at me when they heard my attacks. "Level: 74." I started choking in surprise. The teacher had to thump my back to get me breathing right again.

"Seventy four?" I gasped when I had caught my breath. "That thing has to be wrong." The entire class shook their heads. We all knew that the machine was never wrong. And I had used a Dragon Rage.

This was where I fainted.

***

When I woke up, I was in the nurse's office. The principal and my mom were bending over me worriedly.

My mom hugged me. "I'm so proud of you." She said.

Then principal positively beamed at me. "Now that you're awake." She said, her Ursaring teeth gleaming in her smile, "I wanted to talk to you about entering the Tournament."

"Wait, back up. _The_ Tournament? The Tournament held once every five years to determine the champion?" My mom and the principal nodded.

I nearly fainted again. "Please tell me you're kidding… I wouldn't stand a chance there!"

My Mom merely smiled. "You know very well that you're in the same level category, or higher, than most of the entrants. Besides, we already entered you, so don't complain. All we need is your signature, and it's a done deal."

"It won't be so bad." I turned to see Meadow sitting on a chair. She looked much better.

"Why do you say that, oh best friend of mine?" I asked.

She grinned. "Because they entered me, too. They said that anyone strong enough to take a Dragon Rage attack like that and still stay conscious would do well in the Tournament. Besides," And here she put on her pitiful look, "You wouldn't want me to enter all alone, would you?"

My Mom added softly, "Alex, you can do this. You're strong enough, and you're the best battler in town. We all know this. Especially you. You can do this."

I turned back to my Mom and the principal, thinking. Everyone waited.

Finally, I smiled. "Where do I sign?"

And so, I made a decision that would change the rest of my life.

*********************

Me: Like?

Firethroat: *Drooling. *

Vurso: What's with him?

Me: I showed him a picture of the main character.

Vurso: Oh… that would explain it…

Firethroat: Pretty…

Vurso: *Mutters. * Pervert…

Me: Anyways, please review! I need at least 10 good reviews to continue!

Vurso: And if anyone wants the other fic Sera started to continue, they better review. It needs 10, it only has 7.

Me: Okay, now press the button, and please review!

Firethroat: AND IF YOU INSULT THE MAIN CHARACTER, I WILL PERSONALLY FLATHROWER YOUR BUTTS!

Vurso: -_-'

Me: *Grins. * Someone's in love…

Firethroat: Shut up…

Me: Uh… can you guys unchain me now?

Vurso: Oh, all right… *Takes out the key and unlocks my wrists. *

Me: Free! Free at last! *Runs off screaming. * I'm free!

Vurso: -_-' *Picks up a phone and dials a number. * Hello? St. Mungo's? She's doing it again.

Firethroat: Okay. Review, or I flamethrower you. Understand?


	2. Chapter 2

All: *Glaring at the readers. *

Firethroat: YOU DIDN'T GIVE US 10 REVIEWS!!!

Vurso: -_-' Right… what the raging Charizard said…

Me: *Sighs. * The readers are lucky we're continuing this.

Vurso: Anyways, none of us own Pokemon, or Squirtel the Squirtle, who is also in this fic.

Me: *Chained to my computer again. * Was this really necessary?

Vurso: Not really, but we enjoy torturing you. Now you start typing, while I go and make sure that Firethroat doesn't start the Apocalypse.

Me: *Sighs and starts typing. *

*********************

"Come on, Slowpoke!" Meadow shouted at me as we left school. "Hurry up!"

"This coming from a turtle type." I muttered, but a grin crept onto my face. I jogged to catch up with my friend. I gave her a toothy grin and laughed. "I doubt you'll be telling me to hurry up after I evolve."

Meadow merely smiled back. "That just means that there will be more of your butt to kick in our battles."

"Oh, come on, you know that you've never been able to beat me." I said with a friendly snort of flame.

"There's always a first time." Meadow said optimistically. We both laughed.

"Where do you think you're going, weaklings?" A voice growled. We looked up to see Butch, the school bully, flexing his muscles and sporting an evil grin.

"Move it, Hitmonchan type." I growled, all traces of a smile having left my face.

"It's not you I have the quarrel with, weakling. It's her." He pointed to Meadow.

"For the last time, I am not going to go out with you!" The normally smiling Meadow was now matching growls with me.

"I think you will." He said. "And as for your friend there," Here he pointed at me, "I think my friend might like a little fun." At this, a Gyarados type slithered up.

"You take the Gyarados type. I'll take care of the Hitmonchan type." Meadow whispered. I gave a tiny nod, and, at a signal that we had developed, we dashed forward to attack.

I wasn't able to pay attention to Meadow's fight, as I had to concentrate on my own.

First, the Gyarados type tried to crush my arm in his massive jaws, but I easily dodged, proving something. He had the type advantage, but I was faster. I hoped it was enough.

The Gyarados type snarled and lashed his tail, very nearly hitting me. I tried a slash attack, but it just bounced off of his scales.

Just then, I was hit with a Hydro Pump. I was knocked to the ground, and only luck kept the tip of my tail dry.

I spat out a mouthful of water as rage flooded my body. My tail flame leapt up and grew larger. I again felt the tingling at the back of my throat, and opened my mouth. I felt, rather than saw, the ball of fire gathering and growing in my mouth. To my surprise, it actually tickled. Was this how it felt to the one that got hit?

The column of flame that was my Dragon Rage shot out of my mouth and made a direct hit on the Gyarados type. Why he hadn't moved, I didn't know, and I wouldn't have a chance to find out. It had been an instant knockout.

I looked over to see Meadow finish off Butch with a Skull Bash. I smiled at her and tried to ignore the tingling feeling that spread throughout my body. I walked over to Meadow to say congratulations.

I was a few feet away when a pain that felt like a knife stabbing my in the side shot through my body. I collapsed to one knee, gasping for air. The pain faded, to be replaced by another feeling. It felt almost as if millions upon millions of ants were crawling over my skin. Pain filled my body, but not so intense this time. I closed my eyes against a blinding white light. My mouth opened to better draw in air, or I felt I might have suffocated.

I felt everything changing and distorting. The pain came in waves now, and my body trembled under it.

__

What's happening to me? Was the only thought I was able to process.

Finally, the pain faded, and I felt the world stop spinning. My eyes were still closed, so I started to rely on my other senses, one at a time, for now.

First, I felt that I was lying on the ground. Only, it somehow felt different. I couldn't pinpoint how, though.

Next, my sense of smell. Once I concentrated on that, my brain nearly exploded. I could smell everything! It was like I had been breathing through a filter before!

I then concentrated on my hearing. I found that it, like my sense of smell, had become much keener. I felt as if someone had had a radio on a quiet setting, then suddenly turned it up to full blast.

Finally, I opened my eyes. Surprising, everything looked the same. Only, kinda different, somehow. (Firethroat: Didn't you just contradict yourself? Me: Oh, the readers get the idea.)

I slowly stood up, and gasped. Everything was smaller!

"WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?!" I yelped.

"Chill, Alex!" Meadow shouted. With my new hearing, it sounded like she had used a megaphone. I yelped again.

"It's okay, Alex!" Meadow said, trying to calm me down. "You just evolved!"

I gave Meadow my "You're crazy" look. "You're kidding. Right?"

"Nope." She said with a smile. "Take a look at yourself."

I looked down, and nearly passed out. My clothes had ripped some, and I could see my new coloring through the tears. Red, with a white belly. I held up my hands, and gasped at my huge claws. I turned my head and brought my tail around for inspection, and gulped at my crimson red tail, and darker tail flame. I crossed my eyes, and took a good look at my new snout. My tongue felt the new, larger, sharper teeth in my mouth. Finally, I felt the top back of my head, and my fingers brushed against a horn, where there had been none before.

A whine escaped my throat. Meadow merely smiled and said, "Hey, at least you're taller now." This remark caused me to snap out of it, and start laughing.

On a happier note, we started on the route to our homes. It was only three days until the tournament, and we would need to practice.

__

Hey, I thought to myself, _as long as Meadow is entered, too, it'll be interesting, and fun._

Little did I know how much this tournament would change my life.

*********************

Firethroat: *Still on his rampage. *

Vurso: *Sighs. * At least this chapter is over. *Drags Firethroat away. * Come on, you. I have some pictures of the main character, and if you chill, I'll give you them.

Firethroat: *Suddenly stops. * Why didn't you say so?

Vurso: *Sweatdrops as Firethroat goes off to add the pictures to his Alex Shrine. * Talk about an obsession…

Me: Can you unlock these handcuffs now? My hands and wrists hurt now.

Vurso: Oh. Sorry. *Takes out the key and unlocks them. *

Me: *Stands up and hugs Vurso. * Thanks buddy. *Walks off to go get a snack and something to drink. *

Vurso: *Has turned an interesting shade of red. * Uh… y-your welcome. *Hurriedly. * Please review. We would like to get 10 reviews for this chapter, so please? I got to go now. *Walks away, muttering. * I need a cold shower… 


	3. Opening ceremony

Me: Sorry for taking so long on this.

Firethroat: We don't own Pokemon. Oh, and if you want to be a contestant in the tournament in the fic, then post in your review what you want your fic name to be, and what Pokemon. Don't pick any legendaries, though. Oh, and just pretend that places in the fic have the same names as places in the Pokemon show, game, etc. And please bear with us. We know the song doesn't really fit the story, but it's the best we could come up with on such short notice. If you know a better song, and the lyrics to it, could you please post them? We'll edit this chapter, if you do.

Vurso: Now, on with the fic!

*********************

The cheering of the crowd was deafening, and I had to steel myself to keep from running away from my place in line, behind a young Dragonite type. I whimpered softly, then gasped as we walked, single file, out into the stadium. The huge stadium was packed past full, and all of them were cheering.

The Dragonite type turned around, and gave me a sympathetic smile. "Don't worry!" He shouted over the noise. "It will be a lot quieter during the opening ceremony, and during the battles!"

"Thanks!" I shouted back, as we took our place in line before the platform where the ceremony was to take place.

Slowly, the cheering stopped, and the president of the league, an old, grizzled Scyther type, came out to address us.

"First off, I would like to say thank you, to all that have come here today, and I would like to wish the best of luck to all of you. Now, for the official Battle tournament song, specialized for the Johto region. (A/N: This is the song from the beginning of Pokemon: Johto Champions.)

A popular singer that I never could remember the name of (she was a Wigglytuff type, though), walked up onto the stage, and took the mike. The music started, and she began to sing.

__

"Pokemon, Pokemon, Pokemon

Let's do it.

I wanna be the very best

Like no one ever was (ever was)

To catch them is my real test

To train them is my cause

My whole life has led to this!

Time to test my skills!

I know I just can't miss

To show the world…

Born to be a winner (Johto)

Born to be a champion

Born to be a winner

Born to be the very best

(Pokemon Johto)

Born to be a winner!"

I yawned when the song was over. I wanted to get to battling, but the battles didn't start until tomorrow. The Dragonite type next to me looked like he was thinking the same thing.

After some more talk, the ceremony finally ended, and I could get back to the cabin my family and I were staying in.

***

That night, I couldn't sleep, so I got up, and walked to the stadium. The doors weren't locked, and I could see the point in it. After all, who would steal a stadium?

I noticed that I wasn't the only one there, and walked up the stairs, until I was standing next to the other one there. I saw that it was the Dragonite type I had met earlier.

"Hi." I said softly.

"Hello." He replied, without turning around.

"Thanks for giving me that advice earlier."

"No problem."

"Umm… can I sit down?"

He looked up, surprised. "Sure, go ahead."

"Thanks." I said, as I sat down on the hard bench.

We sat there in silence for a little while, which was finally broken by him saying, "So… couldn't sleep?"

"Nope… you too, huh?" I replied.

"Yeah… just nervous. I'm going up against some opponents that have been training for this since before I was born."

I groaned. "Just as I managed to make myself forget that…"

"Sorry…" He grinned sheepishly. "By the way, my name's Jason." He offered his hand.

"Alex." We shook hands, and went back to staring out over the battling arena.

Finally, I yawned. "Well, it was nice meeting you, Jason. I gotta go to bed, though. Good luck tomorrow." I stood up.

"Yeah… good luck." He didn't turn to look at me as I started to leave.

"Alex?"

I turned and looked back. Jason was staring right at me, and I noticed that he had unusual golden eyes. "Yeah?"

"Can we talk tomorrow night, here? After the matches?" He looked so hopeful that I couldn't help but smile.

"Sure. Be sure to not get too tired out, though. Wouldn't want you falling asleep in the middle of talking." This brought a small smile to his face, and he nodded. I turned, and walked back to my cabin, feeling much more relaxed now.

Before I drifted off to sleep, however, one thought hit me. _Boy, was he cute._

*********************

Me: Sorry for that being so short… and terrible…

Firethroat: But we wanted to get it out.

Vurso: Remember, review if you want to be a character in the fic!


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